HIGH SCHOOL ICE HOCKEY: MacAllister takes his opportunity in Notre Dame's win

WEST WINDSOR — Bryan MacAllister knows the situation and patiently waits for his opportunity.

Not only did he have the opportunity to start in goal for Notre Dame Thursday, the senior had the chance to excel.

MacAllister rose to the occasion as the Irish fought off a determined West Windsor-Plainsboro South, 6-0, in a Colonial Valley Conference game played in the Rink at Mercer County Park.

The win lifts the Irish to 9-0 overall and 8-0 in the league. What makes the South (4-3, 4-3 CVC) performance so impressive is it held the high-powered Irish off the board for a 26-minute span during the second and third period.

ND, which has a big test against Robbinsville today at 5:30 p.m. at MCP, has outscored its conference foes by 71-3.

Connor McNamara and Mike Adams led the Irish with a pair of goals each. Ryan Siegel and Dakota Skove added single tallies. Connor Todaro chipped in with three assists, Adams added a pair of helpers and McNamara got one.

The Pirates battled the Irish, testing MacAllister with 18 shots, but the lanky goalie protected the net.

“I just want to go in and make the best of my opportunities,” said MacAllister. “I can’t control who the coach decides to play. Whether it be Steve (Anderson), be Sam (Flannery) or me. There was some pressure because I was getting some shots and it was nice.”

It was also a nice performance by the Pirates and their goalie Karl Stafford. The way the Irish have been marching through the CVC the Pirates kept it interesting.

“I told the kids not to be walking out with their feet dragging and their head down,” said South coach Laurent Lassance. “We held these guys scoreless for a good 20 minutes. This is a game that should give us confidence knowing we skated against a team that is a lot deeper than us. It’s a good sign for games to come.”

It might be a game that serves as a wake-up call for the Irish.

“We weren’t working as a team,” said Todaro, one of the premier sophomore players around. “We might have been looking to Robbinsville. We might’ve been too ahead of ourselves.”

Notre Dame jumped to a 4-0 lead after the first period, and then could only produce a pair of goals over the final 30 minutes.

“Our guys had a tough go of it,” said ND coach Andrew Ducko. “We weren’t running on all cylinders, but we got the job done. They (South) played great. Their goalie Stafford) was phenomenal and what I noticed about them is they got better as the game went on. Maybe this is a learning experience for tomorrow (today against Robbinsville). A win is a win.”

Having MacAllister ready to step in when called didn’t hurt.

“I always stay optimistic,” said MacAllister. “Then I have to make the most of it when I get the opportunity.”